You succinctly explained to your reader why informants should be used to establish probable cause. As you note, the informant needs to be credible and the information garnered from the informant must be accurate. The use of informants is a common practice in criminal investigations. “Oftentimes, informants are key witnesses whose trial testimony is vital to prosecutors seeking to prove a defendant’s guilt” (Saltzburg, 2015). However, its use seems to be a slippery slope for law enforcement and criminal investigators. Incentivized informants have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Therefore, information is being bought by law enforcement from individuals who are more than likely criminals or have broken a law and have become informants
